Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is consolidating its operations on Ownby Lane in Richmond into one building, which the company is planning to renovate to give a refreshed look to its taproom and patio where visitors gather for beers.
With developers eyeing new plans for the surrounding area, Hardywood, an early entrant in the Richmond area’s booming craft beer scene, plans to vacate the building it leases at 2408 Ownby Lane where the company’s founders first started brewing beer in 2011. That 12,091-square-foot building it leases was sold last week.
The brewery in 2012 acquired the building next door at 2410 Ownby Lane to serve as the main gathering spot for its customers. Hardywood is keeping that building, which will undergo a renovation.
“The main goals of our planned renovation of 2410 Ownby Lane are to provide a more comfortable and welcoming visitor experience, and to enhance customer engagement with our experimental brewing efforts,” Hardywood co-founder and President Eric McKay said on Wednesday.
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The renovation plan, first reported by Richmond BizSense, comes as real estate developers want to put mixed-use projects in the area surrounding Hardywood.
The Richmond Planning Commission is scheduled to hear a proposal on Tuesday by Spy Rock Real Estate Group to rezone the 0.898-acre parcel at 2408 Ownby Lane from M-2 Heavy Industrial to B-5 Central Business , which would allow for redevelopment of the property with mixed uses including retail shops and other businesses and residential.
Also on the Planning Commission agenda is a proposal to rezone 2413 Ownby Lane, at the corner of Ownby Lane and Overbrook Road, and 1601 and 1611 Overbrook Road from M-2 Heavy Industrial to B-5 Central Business . Hardywood’s taproom building is in between those properties.
The parcel under review for a rezoning at 2408 Ownby Lane was sold Feb. 7 to SRC Overbrook LLC for $1.35 million, city online property records show. 2408 Ownby Lane LLC had bought the building for $595,000 in 2003.
The building is assessed in 2020 for $1.095 million, city records show.
The 0.951-acre property at 2410 Ownby Lane — Hardywood’s taproom — is owned by Hardywood Properties LLC, which bought it for $670,000 in 2012, city online records show. The property is assessed in 2020 for $1.157 million.
McKay said Hardywood hopes to start construction on the renovation of its building this spring, with most of the interior work being completed by late summer.
The patio renovation will likely take place next January, McKay said. The brewery will remain open during construction, he said.
“We’ve long been believers in the ability of craft breweries to revitalize neighborhoods, and it’s been exciting to witness the early transformation of this side of Arthur Ashe Boulevard,” he said.
Early in 2018, Hardywood opened its 55,000-square-foot West Creek brewery and taproom in Goochland County. Located on Sanctuary Trail Drive in the West Creek office park, that brewery produces Hardywood’s flagship brands, while the brewery in Richmond focused on more experimental styles of beer.
